Traveling case



Dec. 13, 1932. J. A. LUTTMANN 1,891,025

TRAVELING CASE Filed Oct. 50, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Wfdz wua I M ATTORNEY Dec. 13, 1932. J LUTTMANN 1,891,025

TRAVELING CASE Filed Oct. 30, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' i iim INVENTOR Patented Dec. 13, 1932 UNITED/STATES PATIENT: OFFICE- J'OSEPH. A. LUTTMANN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MENDEL-DRUCKER COMPANY, OF NORWOOD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO TRAVELING CASE This invention relates to a garment supporting fixture for a Wardrobe, travelling or suitcase providing a rack over which the garments are folded and held in place withina compartment of the case as the cover thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a garment supporting fixture or clothesrack which can be fitted within a shallow compartment or cover of a travelling or suitcase providing a swinging frame, carrying a clothes supporting cross bar, preferably removable, adapting the rack to be swung or moved outwardly from the compartment to render the cross bar more accessible for folding or draping the garments thereover, and which, when moved to a closed position within the compartment, secures the cross bar and garments against displacement or disarrangement.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a garment supporting fixture for a compartment of a travelling or suitcase constituting swing rack frames, each carrying a cross bar relatively parallel for supporting garments thereover, the rack frames linked together adapting the same to be simultaneously operated through the actuation of one of them to move the same to an open position with the cross bars in an extended, accessible position from the compartment and to a closed position within the compartment, and in such position, one of the cross bars serving to support the garment folded thereover, while the other clampingly holds the garment in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment support for a suit, or like case mounted and adapted to be locked into a compartment or cover of the case, and particularly one of shallow depth, providing one or a plurality of rack bars over which the garments can be folded, and capable of being swung out from the compartment to a more accessible position.

Other features and advantages of the invention are more fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved wardrobe case illustrating the same in open position with a swinging garment holdingrack mounted within the cover section of the case and likewise shown in open position for folding the garments over a cross bar at the top end of the rack.

F igure 2 is a section on line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one end;

of the garment supporting cross'rod of the rack illustrated as detached from the rack on line 5-5, Figure 1, illustrating the garment supporting rack in its closed position within the cover or lid section.

Figure 6 is a front view of the cover section in open position with the garment supporting rack in closed position and the body section of the case in section.

Figure 7 is a section on line 77, Figure 6.-

Figure 8 is a section on line 8-8, Figure 7. Referring to the drawings, the case is shown as a rectangular box-like structure, composed of a body'section 1 and a cover section 2, with the cover section hingedly con-' nected to one end of the body section and to be sustained in a position at right angles to the body when the cover is swung to its'full open position. section at their upper ends are slanting or in clining to provide a greater depth at one end than at the other.

The side walls of the cover section like- The side walls of the body' wise are inclined or slanting converselycover when the cover is in open position from the end wall to the body section, and brings the top wall more in line with the end wall of the body section to allow the lower end of the garment to be more aptly received into the well or compartment 3 when draped or the inside surface of the side walls.

hung over the garment supporting cross rod of the rack. The garment supporting rack is mounted or hinged within the cover and is arranged to be swung outwardly to an open position to bring its garment supporting cross rod bar to a more accessible position and which will approximately extend its garment supporting rod centrally to the well or compartment 3. The inclination of the connecting or meeting ends of the side walls of the body and cover sections is not essential to the present improvements. The garment supporting fixture is arranged to be installed in a compartment or cover of the case of comparative shallow depth.

The well or compartment 3 in the body section is formed by a removable partition wall 4 having its opposite ends engaged within a, channel or groove of guide strips 5 fixed to As shown in Figure l the partition at its lower end is provided. with a swinging flap 6 to permit the lower ends of the garment, if necessary, to be extended beyond the well or compartment, and which also tends to hold such ends ofthe garment against displacement when the case is closed and handled.

In Figure 4 a modified form of partition wall is disclosed, the wall its opposite lower ends being provided with clips 7-7 hingedly connected to the wall, the same being swung to an extended position for elevating the wall above the surface of the base of the body section of the caseto provide an opening between the adjoining compartments formed by thewall. The clips when swung into a closed position, as shown in dotted line, Figure l, clasp over the edge of the wall, thus permitting the wall or end of the wall to be engaged. with the base of the body section when no opening is desired between the adjoining compartments. The casing being usually fabric lined, the guide strips, at their lower ends, are provided with metal bumpers or guards 8 against which the clips engage and thus prevent the clips from cutting through.

The swinging garment supporting rack, comprises a frame structure of parallel links 9-9 extending respectively longitudinal with side walls of the cover to which the rack is attached, each link 9, at one end, is bent to offset the same and pivotally connected to a stationary base link or metal strip 10 rigidly secured by rivets to the inside of a side wall of the cover. The opposite free ends of the links 9 9 are connected by a cross garment supporting rod or bar 1.1 removably attached. The rod 11, at each end, is provided with a clip 12, each clip of the form as shown in Figure 3, constituting a metal stamping bent to form a rectangular socket closed at one end and secured to the rod to extended right angles therefrom. The clip is secured to the end of the body by a screw 13 engaged through a tongue portion of the clip. The socket of a dimension to frictionally bind with the end of the link 9 with which it is engaged to retain the same thereon against accidental displacement. The garments are draped or hung over the rod with the lower end of the garment e2:- tended into the well portion of the body of the case. The links are permanently connected by a cross strap 1% as a metal strip angled at its opposite ends and riveted respectively to the links 9-4). The cross bar portion of the strap thus being in an offset position relative to the garmentsupporting rack rod, thereby provides a guard for the garment at a rear side of the rack, as well as ing rigidity to the rack. The rack at the lower end is provided with an elastic cross strap 15, one end of which is permanently secured to one of the links 9 while the opposite end is provided with a hook clip for detachably connecting the same to the opposite rack link 9.

The rear cross rod or strap 14: also provides a support for permanently attaching one end of a curtain which is arranged to be draped upwardly over the garment supporting rod or bar and thence downwardly to any degree desired for covering the garments carried by the rack.

The rack is swung outwardly from its position within the cover to accessibly expose the ga 'ment supporting rack bar by a control or actuating frame pivoted to swing about the garment supporting frame, which, in closed position serves to clamp or hold the garments within the cover and in an opposite or open position as an auxiliary rack over which the garments can be preliminarily draped in arranging them upon the garment supporting rack frame. The control frame comprises a pair of. link levers 16-41), each adjacent to the outside of a corresponding link of the garment sinaporting rack frame. Each. link, toward one end, is pivoted to a base link 10 at an end thereof opposite from that at which the connection for the corresponding rack link 9 is made and at a point toward the medial portion of the link 9.

The free opposite ends of the lever links 16 are connected by a cross rod or bar 17 extending parallel with the garment support ing bar 11 but in an extended position there-- from when the control. frame is swung to its open position adapting the control frame to be swung about the garmentsupporting frame for actuating the garment supporting frame to swing the same into and out from within the cover or case section.

The opposite or inner ends of the link levers 16-16, respectively are connected with a corresponding link 9 of the garment supporting frame by a connecting link 18. One end of the connecting link 18 is pivotally connected to the inner end of a link lever 16 and its opposite end to a link 9 at a point approximately medial of its length. The control frame normally, when the garment supporting frame is in its closed position as within the cover section of the case, has its cross bar 17 in parallel aligned position with the bar 11 at an opposite side of the flexible strap 15 or toward the hinged end of the cover serving to confine or hold the lower portion of the garments against displacement from within the cover.

The cross bar 17, being of rounded form, permits the garments to be neatly folded thereover and not muss the same, and also serves to direct a lower portion of the garments over the curtain and downardly into the well of the body section. When the control frame is swung upwardly over the garment supporting frame, its cross bar 17 will be positioned above and rear of the cross bar 9 and for the style of case illustrated comes directly in front of the lock clasps 19 of the cover guarding the same and also provides a temporary garment support for preliminarily draping the garments thereover while adjusting the lower portion of the garments within the cover and well of the body section.

In Figure 1 a curtain is shown as hung over the cross bar 17 and upper end wall of the cover. When several garments are applied upon the rack frame, an intermediate garment can be easily removed by merely draping those in the rear thereof over the cross bar 17 and back of the cover without disturbing those in front thereof hanging over the cross bar 11 of the garment supporting frame. The fixture is locked in closed position by a pair of snap clips 20, one respectively fixed to a base link 10 and extending laterally therefrom with its free end apertured to engage with a pin 21 extending from the outer side of the link lever 16.

The links 9 of the garment supporting frame are each provided with a shield 22 extending rearwardly therefrom serving as side guards for the garments to confine the same within the fixture.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A garment supporting fixture for a wardrobe suitcase and the like, providing a garmcnt holding compartment, comprising a pair of swinging rack frames mounted as a unit within the compartment, means whereby the frames are mounted in the compartment for outward swinging movement and means comprising links pivotally connecting the frames whereby they may be swung simultaneously, one frame serving to hold the garments, and the second to actuate the other and provide means for confining the garments in place within the compartment.

2. A garment supporting fixture compris ing a pair of base strips, a pair of frames each comprising a pair of spaced links connected at one end by a cross bar and at the opposite end pivoted respectively to a base strip and the said links, at a corresponding side of the frames, connected by a link pivoted to each, adapting the frames to be jointly moved to a closed position with the links in parallelism and to an alternate open position bringing the said frames in corresponding spaced relation with the cross barof one at a plane extended from the other.

3. In a suitcase or thelike, having a hinged cover, a garment supporting fixture mounted within said cover, comprising a pair of swinging rack frames pivotally mounted as a unit within said compartment and to the opposite side walls thereof, the frames having link connections whereby the same may be simultaneously swung from the compartment to a position outward thereof, one frame serving to hold the garments and the second when swung to an open position from the garment holding compartment serving to protect the garments from contact with the end of the cover opposite its hinged end and in a closed position confining the garments within said compartment.

4. In a wardrobe suitcase or the like, the combination of a box-like case, providing a garment holding compartment and a garment carrying fixture comprising a pair of swinging rack frames pivotally mounted as a unit within said compartment and to the opposite side walls thereof, the frames having link connections whereby the same may be simultaneously swung from the compartment to a position outward thereof, one frame serving to hold the garments and the second to actuate the other and for confining the garments within said compartment, and means for holding the second frame in the case thereby locking both frames from movement when in closed position.

5. A garment supporting rack for a suitcase and the like, comprising, a pair of complementary rack frames, each frame consisting of a pair of links joined at one end by a cross rod, the links pivotally connected to a support, and the corresponding links of each frame connected bya connecting link for unitarily swinging said frames, one about the other, to bring the cross rods thereof in a relative garment supporting position, and alternately to bring the cross bars to a relative position whereby the one will confine the garment upon the cross rod of the other and within the frame thereof. 7

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

JOSEPH A. LUTTMANN. 

